Searching for dark matter
On this spring day there is a clear blue sky over the Gran Sasso mountains in Italy. Prof. Christian Weinheimer from the Institute of Nuclear Physics is sitting in a minibus belonging to the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, accompanied by two PhD students and one post-doc. The minibus is driving north-east along the A24 motorway towards Teramo. Just after Assergi it drives into a tunnel and, after another ten kilometres or so, emerges into the daylight again. Suddenly it does a U-turn, and the driver takes an exit - one not designed for public use - and continues driving along the opposite lane, back into the tunnel. There is a reason for the manoeuvre: the vehicle's destination lies deep inside the mountains and can only be reached via an exit on the A24 heading towards L'Aquila. People are attracted to the Gran Sasso mountains in Abruzzo for hiking, climbing and winter sports.
